Start again
by Ricepaper.Butterfly
Summary: Kinda based on 'Tabula Rasa Continues' by Haley's Comet, same idea but story is dif. starts from just b4 Xan steps on the stone. Spuffy & Tarow plus some other stuff to, hope u like it!


**So this story is kinda based on the story 'Tabula Rasa Continues' by Haley's Comet. My version's a little different though, I mean it's the same basic idea but it's goes differently from there. I'm not sure if they're gunna finish theirs but I really love the idea because I always wished that they never got their memories back. Everything would be different then, Willow and Tara would have never broken up and everyone would have been happy with a clean slate and Tara would never die! So this is starting from just before Xander stepped on the crystal and broke it...**

Alexander was breathless as he stood where the vampire had once been and now was only a pile of dust. The piece of wood dropped from his hand as the adrenalin faded and his knees felt weak. Dawn watched him worridley and rushed forward to make sure he was alright he smiled as he saw her by his side.

"I'm fine Dawnie, thanks though" he grinned and closed his eyes to try and take in what had just happened. Willow hesitated, her breath heavy as she lay upon Tara where they had fallen and had not move, frozen in the moment of longing. She looked at her soft lips and blonde hair messy around her face, her gentle eyes and her cheeks now light pink as she blushed but the sound of her boyfriends voice pulled her back to reality, or the wacked up reality she'd woken up in not to long ago. She quickly pulled away and got up off the girl beneath her. She knew she was blushing deep red so turned the other way and went to help Alex, looking back quickly to make sure Tara was ok but she felt something when she saw those blue/grey eyes watching her soulfully and it made her feel something, something different and deep. She quickly broke eye contact and turned back to Alex who was now on his knees on the dirty sewer floor feeling weak and not at all noticing what was going on between his girlfriend and Tara.

"We should probably get back to the magic shop" she suggested offering him her hand which he took after standing up and kept holding onto afterward as they walked toward the ladder with Tara following shyly behind not saying a word. Willow was confused, pulled by the feelings she was getting about Tara. But when she held Alex's hand she felt warm and comfortable and safe and he was her boyfriend after all. She sighed and went up the ladder first so she could help Dawn up after and as she reached the top she turned to help her up to find Tara took her hand as Dawn and Alex stood waiting below. She smiled shyly and pulled her up trying not to keep contact too long and quickly going back to help Dawn.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

Rupert slowly pulled back out of the kiss and and slowly brought Anya back up from the dip. She smiled up at him gladly as her blonde curls fell in her face and he geantly tucked them back behind her ears and held her to his chest. She could hear his heart beating in his chest and she was glad she'd lost her memory, this was a second chance. It was a blessing.

"You know we should look around a bit, maybe there's something else here that could point to who we are, where we work, any of that stuff we might need to know" Rupert stated letting go of her and looking back over his shoulder at the counter. Anya nodded unneasily but followed as he went to investigate. He searched around the back of the counter in draws and such untill finally he found something and started pulling it out smiling.

"Maybe we're not meant to know any of that though, maybe we should just start again, fresh!" she said as he pulled out a small journal from under the counter "You kept a journal? How sissy..." she laughed but stopped as he gave her a cold stare. He clasped the journal in his hand tightly and looked down at her through his foggy glasses sternly.

"Well there are just somethings I think we need to know. Like where we live?" he answered smartly "besides... lots of men keep journals it is not just a feminine thing to do!" he added embarressed and open up the small book. In neat running writing the words  
'The watcher diaries, Buffy' where written on the front page. Rupert read on very intrigued by what he had written when Anya stopped him, pulling the book from his hands. He looked up at her suprised and then he saw the look on her face.

"I don't want to get my memory back Rupert. I don't want to hate you again. Please don't read it, I beg you" she pleaded him and he sighed walking forward and wrapping his arms around her. From what he'd read he about figured that "Joan's" name was actually Buffy, she was a slayer who killed vampires and such for a living and he was her watcher. Was this the life they'd all been trying to escape? He furrowed his brow, deep in concentration before finally taking the book from Anya's hand and stowing it in a draw out the back. He wouldn't read it but he couldn't throw it way incase it was something important they really needed.

**x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x**

Buffy thrust the wood that used to be part of someones mailbox through the vampires heart and sighed as it turned to dust and Randy did the same to the last vamp. Every movement she made while fighting them, every attack and every defence, felt like a routine. Like something she did so often she hardly had to think about it anymore and it scared her a little that it was all so easy it was almost boring. Randy grinned at her and she smiled back wondering what that glint in his eye was, that kindness that you wouldn't think wouldn't lie in a vampires heart, even one with a soul, and it made her heart flutter.

"Come on, we'd better get back to that magic shop" she quickly muttered and walked back down the street in the direction they'd come from with the wooden mailbox stake in her hand, just in case. He followed happily by her side in his tacky brown coat and his slicked back, bleach blonde hair. His eyes followed her everymove as she walked, as her hand moved slightly at her side and her eyes wairily checked every which way to make sure there wasn't a threat around.They walked back to the shop in silence and it seemed so normal for them to be walking side by side.

"Well whats been going on here? I thought you where supposed to be finding a spell to help Joan and Randy?" a bemused Willow questioned as she entered through the back door after coming back up from the sewers. Rupert blushed and quickly pulled away from the passionate kiss with Anya but keeping her hand in his as he did so.

"Yes well... there was a bit of a mix up and we couldn't find one..." he mumbled shyly and quickly changed the subject "how did everyone else go?" he looked around at the others. Buffy and Radny grinned proudly as they walked through the door to the magic shop side by side in the moon light. Everyone looked to them as they entered as Buffy seemed to be the leader of there little group with her powers and all.

"It was awesome. We beat those vamp's arses so bad. You should have seen Joan fighting like 4 at once and using some old piece of wood from a mailbox as a stake and we beat 'em all down" Randy ranted on happily retelling the story of their grand battle as everyone listened intetnly as he went over all the awesome moves he made and Joan too till Rupert cut him off.

"Umm... actually Joan I found something and umm... your name's Buffy. And your not a super hero your what they call a slayer. You kill vampires and I'm your watcher" Rupert informed them quickly hoping they wouldn't want to read more of the book he'd found it in. Everyone looked at him suprised and confused.

"Why do I need someone watching me exactly? And Buffy... is actually a nice name" she grinned to herself "Buffy, the vampire slayer" she said liking the way it sounded, it felt right and she nodded at the imformation she'd received but she still had questions. "What are we going to do then? I mean should we head to the hospital or..." she trailed off as she knew they where all thinking the same thing. What if they just left it? Everything happened for a reason so maybe this was meant to happen, like a second chance to turn their lives around or something. Randy looked at her and she could see it in his eyes as he could see it in hers and she nodded back at him.

"Right then, we need to find where we live for starters but maybe tonight we should stay here. After all there are only 5 or so more hours till the sun rises" she stated firmly, taking charge now and she started to decide where they should all sleep, though there weren't any actualy beds there where some mats in what looked like a training room out the back so they slept in there on them. Buffy lay on a mat staring at the roof and squished between her sister Dawn and Randy as there hadn't been many mats. She had one arm around Dawn to keep her warm and her back was right up against Randy's stomach as he lay on his side, facing toward her.

"Buffy, are you still awake?" he whispered to her and she looked back at him and smiled but she couldn't hold back the shiver that came on as she lay cold in her short sleeved shirt. He wriggled closer and put his arm around her for warmth and Buffy could finally sleep in his arms, warmer and feeling safer. Tomorrow she'd have to tell everyone else he was a vampire. A good vampire with a soul, but a vampire none the less... It could wait though, first things first, they had some things to sought out. Like where they lived and if they had jobs and all those important things that where necessary. Buffy slept soundly and Randy watched her with a small smile on his face.

Willow lay awake in Alex's arms hours later and she couldn't sleep. She sat up and looked back down at him in the faint moonlight seeping into the room and smiled leaning down to kiss him lightly on the forehead before she stood up and walked over to the door. She opened it cvarefully but it still creaked and she grimaced as she tried to sneak out quietly but with not much success. Sh went to sit at the table and opened up a random book and started flicking through it not really taking any of it in. It was just some book about flowers and the different things they could do, magicy things she wasn't really interested in.

"C..couldn't sleep either huh?" a quiet voice murmured from above and she looked up to see Tara sitting on the edge of the landing above "wanna sit and talk? I.. I mean only if y..you want.." she stumbled over her words nervously but Willow smiled and walked over, climbing up the ladder to her. Tara offered her a hand as she neared the top which she took happily, and not because she needed it. She sat down with her legs hanging over the edge, close to Tara as she could be and they whispered to each other, giggling and smiling untill Willow fell asleep with her head on Tara's shoulder sometime in the early morning and Tara left her that way, putting her arm around her to stop her faliing. She was so adorably sleeping soundly with a cute smile on her face and her wringlets of red hair falling over her eyes. Tomorrow would be different, her first day as a new girl.


End file.
